April is national poetry month so I wanted to share some ideas for teaching poetry in the elementary classroom that worked for me!
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1. Choosing Poetry
I love poetry and really enjoyed teaching it to my students. I always searched for new authors and books, but I had a few staples that I would use year in and year out in my classroom. Find what speaks to your students. Invite them to find poetry and bring it into the classroom as well. Here are a few of my favorite poetry books:
Where Fish Go in Winter by Amy Goldman Koss – This collection of poems explains science phenomena
Science Verse by John Scieszka – This is another collection of science poems
Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neill – This poetry book is a classic! Read about the colors around us in these wonderful poems.
Love that Dog and Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech – These two books are poems in novel form. This wonderful series explains figurative language and tells a wonderful story.
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein – This poetry book conjures memories from my childhood. Silverstein writes wonderful poems perfect for the elementary-aged audience. Make sure to check out his other poetry books as well (Where the Sidewalk Ends, Every Thing On It, and Falling Up)!
2. Introduce a Variety
I love to introduce my students to different types of poems. Many children think that poetry has to rhyme and be written a certain way. I love to break down these ideas and show them how fun poetry can be! Find examples of haiku, concrete poetry, free verse, etc., and share them with your students. I always loved reading Hate That Cat and Love That Dog by Sharon Creech because it made poetry relatable to my students. These books are also great at showcasing some of the different types of poetry and their conventions.
3. Word Play
It’s important to know the basics of poetry to understand it. Spend some time introducing your students to poetry terms and conventions. Once they are familiar with them have them put them into use. A great way to do this is to print out the lyrics to songs and have students look for examples of figurative language. They can highlight examples that they find and explain the purpose of the song. I’ve had students do this activity in pairs and small groups. It’s a great way to spark discussion!
A fun wordplay activity that I used in the classroom was to have students examine words to determine the difference between their literal meaning and actual meanings.
The kids always had fun doing these and sharing their pictures. It is a great activity for a laugh!
4. Write, Write, Write!
After examining works by other authors I’d have my students write their poetry. I usually had them keep a poetry journal where we could work on the different kinds of poetry like haiku, diamante, cinquain, rhyming, concrete, etc.
We would work on poetry for morning work, freewriting, and during our ELA block. Many of my reluctant writers enjoyed poetry because they were able to get their thoughts onto paper in shorter passages.
I’d also have students write poetry by using Magnetic Poetry. They arrange the words on a magnetic surface. I used baking sheets from the dollar store. When they finished their poems I would take pictures of their completed work!
5. A Poetry Freebie for You!
Now that I have told you about my favorite ways to teach poetry grab a freebie on poetry analysis! If you like what you see make sure to check out this poetry analysis packet with 7 different poems and so much more!
